San Francisco Demons
Team logo
Established2001
Folded2001; 23 years ago (2001)
Based inSan Francisco, California
Home stadiumPacific Bell Park
Head coachJim Skipper
LeagueXFL
DivisionWestern
ColorsRed, black, yellow[1]
     
League titles0
Division titles0

The San Francisco Demons (originally named San Jose Demons) were a short-lived springtime American football team based in San Francisco, California. This team was part of the failed XFL begun by Vince McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment and by NBC, a major television network in the United States. Originally they were to be based in San Jose but prior to the start of the season they were moved to San Francisco. They were in the Western Division with the Los Angeles Xtreme, Las Vegas Outlaws and Memphis Maniax.

The team played in Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco; despite having the smallest stadium in the league, they also had the highest average attendance (34,954).[2] The fans had a cheering section nicknamed "The Hellhole".

The team was coached by Jim Skipper, former running backs coach for the New York Giants.

History

In their only season of existence, the Demons went 5-5 to capture 2nd place in the regular season and qualified for post season play. In the first round, the Demons defeated the Orlando Rage, who had the best regular season record (8-2), by a score of 26-25. In the XFL's Million Dollar Game, which was the league championship game and last game in its history, the Demons were defeated by the Los Angeles Xtreme 38-6.

NBC dropped the XFL after the first season (2001) due to dismal ratings, and the league folded soon afterwards. The Demons played their home games in what was then Pacific Bell Park, now Oracle Park, the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants.

The most notable Demons players were Mike Pawlawski and Pat Barnes. Both played quarterback for the Demons in 2001. Pawlawski and Barnes both played for the California Golden Bears. Pawlawski was signed by the Demons after playing Arena Football for the Albany Firebirds. Barnes had been invited to training camp by the Oakland Raiders.

Season

Season records
Season W L T Finish Playoff results
2001 5 5 0 2nd Western Won Semifinals (Orlando)
Lost Million Dollar Game (Los Angeles)
Totals 6 6 0 (including playoffs)

Schedule

Regular season

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue
1 February 4 Los Angeles Xtreme W 15–13 1–0 Pacific Bell Park
2 February 10 at Orlando Rage L 14–26 1–1 Florida Citrus Bowl
3 February 17 at Memphis Maniax W 13–6 2–1 Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
4 February 25 Las Vegas Outlaws L 9–16 2–2 Pacific Bell Park
5 March 3 Birmingham Thunderbolts W 39–10 3–2 Pacific Bell Park
6 March 11 New York/New Jersey Hitmen L 12–20 3–3 Pacific Bell Park
7 March 18 at Chicago Enforcers L 19–25 3–4 Soldier Field
8 March 24 Memphis Maniax W 21–12 4–4 Pacific Bell Park
9 April 1 at Las Vegas Outlaws W 14–9 5–4 Sam Boyd Stadium
10 April 7 at Los Angeles Xtreme L 0–24 5–5 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Post-season

Round Date Opponent Result Record Venue
Semi-final April 14 at Orlando Rage W 26–25 1–0 Florida Citrus Bowl
Championship Saturday, April 21, 2001 at Los Angeles Xtreme L 6–38 1–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Personnel

Staff

2001 San Francisco Demons staff
Front office
  • Vice president/general manager – Mike Preacher
  • Director of player personnel – Greg Mohns

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive coordinator – Joe Paopao
  • Running backs – Thomas Coleman
  • Offensive line – Ron De Monner
  • Offensive line – Kani Kauahi
   Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams – Tom Everest

Standings

Western Division
Team W L T PCT PF PA STK
Los Angeles Xtreme 7 3 0 .700 235 166 W1
San Francisco Demons 5 5 0 .500 156 161 L1
Memphis Maniax 5 5 0 .500 167 166 W2
Las Vegas Outlaws 4 6 0 .400 169 143 L3

[3]

San Francisco Demons players

Team leaders

References

  1. ^ "San Jose Demons Logo Sheet". SSUR.org. Archived from the original on November 28, 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  2. ^ "XFL San Francisco Demons".
  3. ^ "XFL Standings". USA Today. May 12, 2001. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
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